BGMS Bulletin

It is that time of the year again! We are so excited to have students return to BGMS on Wednesday morning, when we open our doors for the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. As you read this newsletter, there are many new articles, and we have repeated a few items from last week's publication to help families prepare for the school year.

Thursday evening we welcomed so many families at our annual back to school event. The energy was amazing. The building was full of life and excitement as we all began thinking of the promising opportunities that await us here in the middle school. While back to school time can produce varying degrees of nervous anticipation and anxiety, know these things:

• We love your students
• We value the Buffalo Gap Community
• We are student focused
• We are committed to excellence
• We need your help

Middle school can be a challenging time as students navigate adolescence. These changes are all part of the growing up process. Peer relations, academics, physical changes and social pressures all become more difficult, but that is 100% natural and necessary to become an adult. Struggling with hard things is OK - the struggle is part of what builds strength. The Buffalo Gap community isn't afraid of hard work. In fact, we pride ourselves on it!

Why is there a picture of a Bison in an Uncle Sam costume? Because WE NEED YOU! Family engagement is a passion of this admin team and our faculty, and we want to partner with you in all of this. We are so excited by the new Bison Community Council and cannot wait to find new ways for us to celebrate the excellence we witness at BGMS each and every day. Children benefit when parents and educators are in strong communication and collaboration. We look forward to accomplishing great things with YOU!

BISON STRONG!

We wanted to make you aware of a new safety measure that we have put in place for this school year with the Centegix Crisis Alert safety platform. Crisis Alert is the badge-based incident response solution worn by every staff member that empowers staff to get help from school administrators or put the entire campus in lockdown with the push of a button. It is a fully integrated emergency response and notification system that includes flashing strobes and intercom announcements. First responders are able to access digital maps with precise location details, down to the exact floor and room. This system is being used within our existing drill routines and crisis management plans.

The safety of our students always comes first and we are very excited to have this system in place. We are thankful for the support of our school board, community, and first responders in partnering with us in this process.

Sincerely,

Augusta County Public Schools

If you have not already done so, please remember to pay your student's $35 technology fee. Acceptable use, YouTube and Chromebook agreements are all being signed as part of the registration process on Parent Portal this year. Paper forms will not be sent home on Wednesday, so please sign these agreements on Parent Portal if you have not already done so.

Transportation on day one is always a learning process. Please be patient as students, drivers and staff learn exactly how and when students get to and from school each day. The bus garage also advises that bus students should be present at their stops earlier than the anticipated pick-up time, and that families are aware that the time could also be later than the scheduled time. Again, this is always a learning process and we ask for patience and understanding as we fine tune the process when the garage moves from planning to implementation.

On Wednesday, Ms. Turner will work with homeroom teachers to make sure each child is able to confirm how they will be getting home. If there is any confusion, a staff member will call home and/or the bus garage to confirm the transportation arrangements.

Welcome to ParentSquare! This will be our parent communication platform in ACPS for the 2025-26 school year.

This guide linked below will help you activate your account, find helpful resources,

and download the free ParentSquare app so you can start receiving updates from your school.

Activate your ParentSquare account

Your school will send you an invitation using your email address or phone number on file.

1. Open the invitation from ParentSquare in your email or text messages.

2. Click "Activate your account" or tap the link to go to the account registration page.

3. Enter your email or phone number, then click Get Started.

(Optional: You can also sign in with Google or Microsoft.)

4. Check your contact information. If it looks correct, click Confirm. You’ll receive a code by text or email.

5. Enter the verification code when asked.

6. You’ll see your children’s names. Click Confirm next to each child who should be connected to your account. If a child is listed by mistake, click Not my child.

7. If everything looks correct, click Yes, this is me.

Now you’re ready to start using ParentSquare!

Need help with your account? Contact your school if:

● A name is spelled wrong

● Your email address or phone number is incorrect

● A child is missing from your account

Access helpful resources:

● When you’re logged in, you can access resources to help you with using ParentSquare.

● On a computer, click the question mark (?) in the top menu.

In the app, tap the Help icon in the app. You’ll see these options:

● Contact School - Send a question to your school or find contact details.

● Help Articles - Search for answers or step-by-step guides.

Calling all parents! The Bison Community Council is our new parent organization and they need your participation.

The mission of the Bison Community Council is to:

● Support the teachers, staff, and students of Buffalo Gap Middle School.

● Encourage family and community involvement in the life of the school.

● Promote a culture of volunteerism and engagement within the school.

● Strengthen relationships between the school, families, and the greater Buffalo Gap

community.

Please consider ways you can help support our school this year. Many hands make light work!

Our new family organization, the Bison Community Council, is still collecting donations for extra classroom supplies. There is a bin in the school office and we have already been blessed with families providing extra supplies.

Here are some extra items that will help teachers with instruction for all of our Bison:

Index Cards

Dry Erase Markers

½” binders

1” binders to stay in room

Tissues

Hand Sanitizer

Lysol wipes

Pencils

Colored Pencils

Different colored highlighters

Loose-leaf paper

Spiral Notebook

(1) 3 Subject Spiral notebook

Glue sticks

Scissors

Please consider donating these items through the Bison Community Council as you are able.

Annual Online Registration via Campus Parent Portal (https://www.augusta.k12.va.us/page/campus-parent) is open, and is required for all returning families (families with students enrolled in 2024-2025 and their children who will attend ACPS in 2025-2026).

Avoid lots of paperwork by using this link to register your child online! After Annual Online Registration closes, you will need to complete paper registration to update all of your child(ren)'s allergy/health information, emergency contacts, and permission forms.

Log in to Campus Parent Portal (https://www.augusta.k12.va.us/page/campus-parent). Click More > Online Registration. The online application is now mobile-friendly so you can do all this on a phone, tablet or laptop! This video (https://kb.infinitecampus.com/.../online-registration...) is available for assistance. Don’t delay; register today so that your student’s information is up-to-date when school opens on August 6!

Sideline cheer has been holding open gyms over the summer and will continue to do so as the season approaches.

Here are some important updates from Mrs. Sanger:

Attention Buffalo Gap Middle School students and families! We are excited to start the volleyball and cross-country open gym/runs for the 2025 Fall season! Included below are important dates and times. Please note that all student-athletes must have a current VHSL physical (dated on or after May 1, 2025) to participate in any ACPS-sponsored sports.

• Open gym will be held on Thursday, August 7, 2025, and Monday, August 11, 2025, from 3:15 - 4:15.
• Tryouts will be held Tuesday, August 12, and Wednesday, August 13, from 3:15 to 5:00. Any player wanting to try out MUST be at BOTH tryout dates.

• Pick-up for volleyball players will be at the BACK main entrance of BGMS.

• There will be a mandatory parent meeting at the end of practice on Thursday, August 14th, at 5:00 in the BGMS gym.

Cross Country:

• Open runs will begin Tuesday, 8/5 (meet at the BGHS track), and continue on Wednesday, 8/6 (now that school is in session, we’ll meet by the gym), Thursday, 8/7, and Friday, 8/8 from 3:15 - 4:45.

• Pick-up for cross-country runners will be at the BACK main entrance of BGMS.

If you have any questions, please contact Julie Sanger, BGMS athletic coordinator, at jsanger@augusta.k12.va.us, or call and leave a message at BGMS, 540-414-0510, and I’ll return your call. Thank you!

**Please note this change: All athletes will now be charged $25 to participate. This is a new ACPS policy and all middle schools will charge this fee for each sport in which an athlete participates.

Please see the above information regarding Middle School Football.

Vaccines

7th grade students need to get their TDAP and Meningitis vaccinations prior to the start of school. Proof of vaccination can be faxed to 540-414-0510. Contact Nurse Abby Smith with any medical questions at smith.al@augusta.k12.va.us. Mrs. Smith will also be in the Clinic at our Back to School Celebration.

Cafeteria Information

Breakfast and Lunch are offered free again this year for ALL students. A la carte items can be purchased during your student's lunch period. Students may either pay in cash or by having money on their account.

Safety

Students and visitors will enter the building and move through our weapons detectors daily. Just as last year, note that zippered binders are not permitted due to weapons detector procedures. Regular notebooks/binders and zippered pencil pouches are acceptable; however, some items must be removed from the backpack and reviewed by our staff at the detector stations. Items such as Chromebooks, umbrellas, glasses cases, large scissors, and certain other metal items must be removed before students are able to pass through the detectors.

Chromebook Charging

Students are asked to charge their Chromebooks each evening so they are ready for use each day. 7th and 8th Grade students who kept their Chromebooks over the summer are asked to charge Chromebooks fully before returning on the first day of school.

Cell Phones/Smart Watches

Cell phones and smart watches can be a huge distraction in the educational setting. Since our students have Chromebooks, they have all the technology they need for the academic setting. Phones and smart watches must be turned off and stored in backpacks, and students are not allowed to use these during the day at school. If you need to contact your child for an emergency, please call the front office. Students may also come to the office to call home if needed.

Please use the map below for entry and exit into the BGMS portion of the complex. Cars will enter and exit through the main entrance on the NORTH side of the building. AM Drop-off and PM Pick-up will be at the BACK entrance of the building. Buses will drop-off in the FRONT of the building at the main entrance. In the afternoon, all BGMS and BGHS buses will be lined up and students will walk along to the sidewalk to their buses.

Following these traffic patterns will be important to ensure everyone's safety as well as efficient traffic patterns.

Looking for some BGMS Gear? CLICK ON THE PHOTO ABOVE! We've got you covered! Shenandoah Awards and Apparel has created a merch store with several designs for purchase. Some designs have our HERD acronym and others contain the logo or another BGMS design. All orders can be placed online, but they will need to be picked up at Shenandoah Awards and Apparel, 220 Frontier Drive, Staunton, VA 24401. Buyers will receive an email when orders are ready. More designs and products will be added. Join the HERD and get yours today! Click the picture above to be linked to the store.